Wednesday, March 11, 2009

Anatomy of the Finger Nail

So here is your first lesson on the finger nail, covering the name of the different parts of the nail. It also applies to toe nails.



Your nails are made up of several layers of a protein called keratin, also found in your hair and skin. The parts of the nail are as follows:
  • The nail plate is that part of your nail that you see. It is the hard portion of the nail.
  • The nail bed is the 'pink' part on the nail. It is the connective tissue beneath the nail plate holding the nail to the finger. When the nail grows it glides over the nail bed.
  • The cuticle is the skin that overlaps your nail plate at the base of your nail. It protects the new keratin cells that are forming the nail and growing out from the matrix. This is one reason why you do not cut off the cuticle!
  • The matrix is located under your cuticle and skin at the base of the nail. This is the root of the nail. The matrix produces the keratin cells that make up the nail and as the new nail grows, the older nail cells become hard and push out toward your fingertips creating the nail plate. Damage to the matrix can cause permanent damage to the appearance of the nail.
  • The lunula is that whitish, half-moon shape that you see at the base of your nail. The lunula is actually the front end of the matrix and lies beneath the nail. The lunula is usually most visible on the thumb and some people do not have visible lunulae.
  • The free edge is pretty self-explanatory. This is the part of the nail that extends beyond the finger and is not connected to the finger.
Proper and regular care of your nails is essential if you want them to look healthy and nice. Check back for the next installment covering just what is proper care.

4 comments:

Gel-Nails said...

Interesting content.

Just wanted to share some information that may help busy professionals caught up with work and who have less time to maintain their nails. You can try out gel nails which are now becoming a hot favorite as they are natural looking even without nail tips and the best way for nail enhancement. Also, if you are allergic to those strong smelling chemicals which you can experience with acrylic nails, then you should use gel nails as these are odorless.

However, when you are planning on gel nail application, make sure you approach a nail salon or a nail artist who is well versed with gel nails and is properly trained and mastered in gel applications. This will save you from problems that can arise with improper gel nail applications.

lorrie said...

thank you for the post on my blog when I had beautywriter guest blog for me, thank you for sharing that information in this post

one time idropped something onmy big toenail and it craked the toenail its still healing

Charli Jessup Chipman said...

Hi Lorrie - One thing you can do for your toe. Cut up a tea bag and get some nail glue. Glue the piece of tea bag over the crack. Let that dry and repeat with the glue 2 more times. The least amount of glue works best. Once dry file it smooth. That will help you grow out the crack.

vintage said...

Interesting article!!... what Charli Jessup said is right. I did for me that.. workable...

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